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Mayor Nenshi, a former professor at Mount Royal University, says the school shouldn't have to suffer from the government's bad policy.

CALGARY— Mount Royal University put several programs on the chopping block Tuesday as campus officials work to plug the institution's $14-million budget hole.

School provost Manuel Mertin said three diploma programs, four certificate programs and an engineering transfer program will likely stop accepting students this fall under an austere budget.

"I was sick by the time I talked to people today," Mertin said, outside a closed-door budget town hall meeting.

"I never imagined I would have to do this."

The three diploma programs on the block are disability studies, music performance and theatre arts, while the four certificate programs are aging studies, forensics, journalism and perinatal care.

Mertin also announced the nursing program aims to slash its fall intake by a third to 210 student spots, according to a person in attendance.

Campus administrators are dealing with a 10 per cent reduction to planned spending after the Redford government axed $147 million from post-secondary operating grants in its spring budget. Mount Royal University put several programs on the chopping block Tuesday as campus officials work to plug the institution's $14-million budget hole.

Martin said trimming enrolment across-the-board to bridge the provincial funding gap would "enfeeble and endanger basically all of our programs."

"This is not (an) around-the-edges cut," he said. "We had to look at our program mix and look at strategically making decisions about the future of some programs at Mount Royal.

"Emphasis was placed on degrees because we are now a university."

Tuesday's announcement translates into a reduction of 600 full-load equivalents (FLEs), Mertin added, which represent one student for a full year of study.

However, he said another 300 full-load equivalents will be added in the fall to "backfill" or offset the hit to post-secondary accessibility.

Full-time students will also be dinged an extra $120 per semester for a new non-instructional fee, according to the university's students' union. Part-time academics will pay half that, said students' association president Kaylene McTavish.

McTavish called the provincial budget "disappointing and frightening for the future," and pointed to the "devastating impacts" now being revealed.

"This is a sad time for Albertans," she said. "The government has failed us."

Jim Brenan, chairman of the theatre, speech and music performance department, said he was stunned by what administrators put on the table.

But, Brenan figured, the fine arts were ultimately targeted as being "soft programs."

"It's lazy," he said of the proposed budget decisions. "They have done no due diligence."

Fine arts programs, he said, draw three times the number of applicants per available student spot, hold valuable university transfer agreements and feed industry demand for graduates.

Brenan also said five faculty members and two staff members will be laid off.

"Why are we not important? They can't answer that," he said. "Terrible."

University faculty association president Gerry Cross characterized the potential program reductions as "ballpark estimates at a big-picture stage," and wouldn't estimate how many jobs would be turfed.

Cross also acknowledged "competing interests" are at play moving forward.

While the university looks to save cash by axing faculty salaries, Cross pointed to a provision in the collective agreement that notes "universities must make reasonable efforts to redeploy people."

"We are going to exercise that to our fullest ability to save jobs," Cross said.

Program cuts must still be approved by Mount Royal's board of governors.

A spokesman for Alberta Enterprise and Advanced Education Minister Thomas Lukaszuk did not comment on Tuesday's announcement, saying the department hasn't yet seen a proposal from the university.

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